Keep it Moving!
A Community-Based Intervention to Increase Physical Activity
in Elementary School Students
Based on studies by the CDC and Fairclough and Stratton (2005), students in a majority of PE classes are only engaged in moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) for 50% of the class or less and therefore rarely meet the recommended goal of 60 minutes of exercise daily. Our community-based intervention aimed to increase the time that students are engaged in MVPA during their allotted physical activity time by adapting games students currently play to make sure there is minimal standing or sedentary time. We employed our intervention for 3rd graders at Davidson Elementary School. We hoped that children would stay moving even during explanation periods and throughout all games while having an engaging experience. In addition, we created an accompanying handout to disseminate to teachers and parents containing 5-minute “Brain Blasts.” This handout includes modified physical activities for children in class or at home to assist in making progress towards their daily physical activity goals. The handout also contains links to various programs that exist currently as resources for teachers and parents to encourage their students to stay active. Ultimately, we hope this intervention increases the amount of time children spend active in P.E. class and can serve as a model for other schools in the greater Charlotte area.
